The armed officers will face “battlefield” conditions as they are trained to leave casualties behind and prioritise shooting terrorist gunmen.

The MEN reported in February that GMP had started training riot police and traffic officers so that they can be called upon to use a gun during major incidents or terrorism attacks, boosting the number of marksmen it already has.

Armed police stand outside a house on a call out (Image: Vincent Cole)

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Today GMP’s Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said: “Like most police forces, we have been reviewing our firearms capability to ensure we are in the best possible position to keep people safe within Greater Manchester.

“We have made the decision to build on our existing armed policing capability in order to respond, not only to any potential terrorist threat, but also the threat from organised crime.

“We currently have an excellent armed policing capability that is deployed 24/7 across Greater Manchester however, due to the threats we face, deploying officers to multiple incidents in multiple locations across 500sq miles means that capability is often stretched.

“We police an internationally renowned city with many iconic locations and we want people to be reassured that our officers are trained and equipped to tackle the threat of terrorism and organised crime.

“There are also a number of Counter Terrorism Firearms Officer uplift programmes currently taking place across the country which means there will also be an increase in the number of highly trained officers who can respond to potential terrorist threats across the North West.

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“I want to be clear, though, that armed policing will never be the entire answer to countering the threats from terrorism and serious and organised crime.

“We also need the support of our communities in providing information and intelligence which forms a key role in keeping the public safe.

“We would always encourage people to report any suspicious activity to police, either directly or via the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously.”

A rise in the number of guns on the streets of major UK cities, including Manchester and Salford has sparked the move plus the terrorism threat against the UK which remains high after 130 people were murdered last November by IS gunmen in Paris.